Nintendo may kill the Wii U by the end of the year, report says (Updated)

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Update 3/23/2016: Nintendo is denying that the report by Nikkei is true. Nintendo has said that the report “didn’t come from us.” The company says that it plans to continue producing Wii U consoles during the next fiscal year and beyond that. Games writers Daniel Feit posted this news along with a translation of the core parts of Nintendo’s statement.

“That report didn’t come from us” Nintendo has denied the Nikkei’s claim that Wii U production is being shut down https://t.co/MG3EwM1DiO

Original story: It seems that Nintendo is finally going to put the Wii U out of its misery. According to a report by Japanese Newspaper Nikkei, Nintendo will cease production of the ill-fated console by the end of the year, making room for its successor, the Nintendo NX.

This report was translated by gaming analyst Serkan Toto of Kantan Games. According to the report, not only will Nintendo put the Wii U out to pasture, but it will formally announce the NX this year, though, according to Toto, it doesn’t exactly mean that Nintendo will begin to sell NX consoles in 2016.

1) The Nikkei just reports Nintendo will stop producing Wii U within 2016. It doesn’t say they will necessarily start selling NX in 2016.

Despite launching a year before the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the Wii U failed to have much impact among the larger gaming audience with the system having paltry worldwide sales in comparison. Nintendo fans were happy with the Wii U and its unique control pad, which incorporated touchscreen technology, but this wasn’t a sentiment that reached out beyond the dedicated fanbase.

Though the Wii U had a short lifespan of only four years, it’s not alone in this arena. The Sega Dreamcast and original Xbox also had a lifespan of four years. Like the Wii U, both systems failed to reach a mass audience, though the Xbox brand would eventually go on to become a major player in the industry.

The Wii U’s time may finally be up by year’s end but there are still games for its user-base to look forward to. These include Star Fox: Zero, Paper Mario: Color Splash, and of course, the next installment in the Legend of Zelda series. That last title is currently rumored to be releasing on the Nintendo NX as well.